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473 reviews

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne

4.25

Compared to Five Weeks in a Balloon, the sense of stakes in this novel is significantly raised - while it takes a while to get to the point, once it gets there, it's non-stop fascination and excitement. Perhaps not my favorite of his, but well worth a read and extremely accessible.

Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times by David S. Reynolds

5.0

Not a typical cradle-to-grave bio - chronologically consistent but with lots of detours that are important for contextualizing Lincoln's life in the era. It rarely feels peripheral and almost always feels essential, and from my standpoint I think I learned more from this book then perhaps any other Lincoln bio in this project.

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky

4.75

"Like all people with timid personalities, his arrogance is unlimited. Anybody who speaks quietly and shrivels up in company is unbelievably arrogant. He acts shy, but he's not. He's scared. He hates himself, and he loves himself, a very tense situation."

- Orson Welles, on Woody Allen

Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer

3.75

Recommended as long as you're willing to buy into this sort of travelogue framework the author uses, and also understanding that the stakes here are not explained as well as they could be. But it does make a point about Lincoln's homespun, genuine connection to the country and its people that is worth holding onto and not diminishing.

Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne

3.25

Episodic with no real sense of stakes, but formative and previewing the more ambitious works of Verne's later years.

Abraham Lincoln: A Life, Volume Two by Michael Burlingame

5.0

February 1861 to April 1865, covered with all the same strengths that volume 1 had and without focusing so much on military strategy that it loses focus. Lincoln is the centerpiece, as he should be, and those wanting a truly convincing look at the man's life without any concessions or condensing need to pick this up.

Abraham Lincoln: A Life, Volume One by Michael Burlingame

5.0

From birth to February 1861 - the most in-depth Lincoln bio to date and the best usage of primary sources to construct a massive, yet still readable and engaging narrative. Loved it.

Victor Hugo by Graham Robb

4.25

Compelling TMI

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

5.0

Stellar, moving, spirited, contemplative, everything that a novel should be. Jean Valjean is such a complex, singularly motivated character and one who could carry a series of novels without trouble. Worth investing in the unedited version.

A. Lincoln by Ronald C. White Jr.

4.5

The strength of this book compared to others is in its analysis of Lincoln's speeches - by far the most attention paid to these documents of any Lincoln bio I've read thus far. Maybe not up to the standards of Donald, but quite close.